Foot-rest for chairs.



No. 636,725. Patented Nov. 7, I899.

J. HEALY.

FOOT BEST FOR CHAIRS.

(Application filed Sept. 25, 1899.) (No Model.)

UNITED STATES- PATENT QFFI E.

JOHN HEALY, OF NEl/V YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN CHAIRMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BRANDT, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOOT-REST FOR CHAIRS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,725, dated November7, 1899.

Application filed September 25, 1899. Serial No. 731,668. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HEALY, a citizen of the United States, residingat New York, in the borough of Manhattan, State of New York, haveinvented'new and useful Improve:

ments in Foot-Rests for Chai rs, of which the following is aspecification.

Myinvention relates to foot-rests for chairs, and has for its objects toprovide certain improvements in the construction of the same whereby theparts may be retracted beneath the seat of what is commonly known as aMorris chair and completely concealed from view thereunder withoutaltering the usual appearance or construction of said chair, the partsof said foot-rest when projected into position for use automaticallyassuming the supporting position. These objects I accomplish in themanner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed,referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a Morris chair, showing my improved foot-rest thereonprojected into position for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection of the seat portion of the chair. Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section of the same. plan view of one front corner of saidchair with the seat proper removed.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the severalviews. I

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 denotes the legs, and 2 theadjustable back, of an ordinary Morris chair, the latter being hinged tothe rear cross-piece 3, as shown, the solid chair-seat 4 being supportedbetween said cross-piece 3 and front cross-piece 5 and projecting alittle beyond the latter, as seen in Fig. 2, and being also supported bythe side bars 6, as shown in Fig. 3.

Immediately beneath the chair-seat 4 is a bottom piece 7, coextensive inlength and width with said chair-seat,except at the front, where itterminates some little distance to the rear of the front edge of saidchair-seat, as

seen in Fig. 2, said chair-seat 4, rear crosspiece 3, side bars 6, andbottom piece 7 forming an inclosure open at the front end only,sufficient space being left between the chairseat 4 and bottom piece 7for the reception of Fig. 4 is a detail top the foot rest, which I willnow describe. Said foot-rest consists of the top plate 8, side bars 9,front cross-piece 10, and two guideways 11, one of the latter beingfixed to the outer side'ofeach of the side bars 9 and forming by theirslots 12 tracks for the reception of pins 13, fixed in the front legs 1ofthe chair,

as shown in Fig. 4. It will be observed that the rear ends of theguideways 11 project somewhat to the rear of the foot-rest proper andare bent downwardly a short distance and then extend for the rest oftheir-length parallel with but in a lower plane to the foot-rest proper.Attached to the front cross-piece 1O ofthefoot-rest is a strip 14,extending vertically in front of the cross-piece 5 and the I front edgeof the bottom piece 7, thereby completely closing and concealing theinclosure formed by the parts 4 and 7 when the footrest is retracted, asseen in Fig. 2.

Pivoted at 15 to the inner sides of the side bars 9 of the foot-restis'aU-shaped supporting-brace 16, adapted when the foot-rest is projected toengage, by means of racks 17 thereon, with a cross-bar 18, extendingtransversely between front legs 1, as seen in Fig. 1.

From the above description the operation of my improved constructionwill be understood to be as follows: The parts being in the positionshown in Fig. 2, the foot-rest will be retracted within the body of thechair, the main portion of the foot-rest lying between the chair-seat 4and bottom piece 7, while the front strip 13 of said foot-restcompletely closes and conceals the same from the front, the samelyingimmediately beneath the projecting front edge of the seat 4, theview from the sides being shut off by the side bars 6. Now when it isdesired to bring said foot-rest into position for use the same isaccomplished by drawing out on strip 14, the rear edge of thesupporting-brace 16 sliding along the bottom piece 7 until it has beendrawn out far enough to pass beyond the front edge of said bottom piece7, when it will drop upon cross-bar 18, two of the slots of its racks 17automatically engaging therewith, thus providing for the support of thefront end of the foot rest. ends of' the guideways reach the pins 13 therear end of the foot-rest will be automatically Meanwhile as the rearcurved IOO raised to the level of the chair-seat 4, as shown in Fig. 1and the foot-rest will be in position for use.

It is apparent that by providing racks 17 in the brace 16 a means ofadjustment is provided for the front end of the foot-rest.

1 have shown in Fig. 1 an improved form of seat-cushion adaptedparticularly for my improved construction, the same consisting of twoseparate sections 19 and 20, united at their front adjacent edges, theconstruction being such that when section 20 is folded onto section 19 afront view presents what is apparently a single cushion for thechair-seat, while by unfolding the two the section 20 will lie on top ofthe foot-rest, thus forming an unbroken surface from the rear of thechairseat 4 to the front edge of the foot-rest.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with a chair formed with a seat, side bars, and abottom piece beneath said seat coextensive in width therewith butterminating at its front end to the rear of said seat, the whole formingan inclosure open at its front end, of a foot-rest adapted to beretracted within said inclosure, means for supporting the rear end ofsaid foot-rest when extended, a brace pivoted to the foot-rest andadapted to fold rearwardly beneath the same when the latter isretracted,

racks on said brace, said brace resting and moving on the bottom pieceof the chair when the foot-rest is in any but its projected position andadapted to drop automatically from said bottom piece and engage throughits racks the chair-frame when the foot-rest is projected, therebysupporting the front end thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a chair formed with a seat, side bars, and abottom piece beneath said seat coextensive in width therewith butterminating at its front end to the rear of said seat, the whole formingan inclosure open at its front end, and pins on said chair-frame, of afoot-rest having guideways thereon engaged by said pins, said guidewaysprojecting to the rear of the foot-rest and shaped to automaticallyraise the rear end of said foot-rest to the chair-seat level whencompletely projected, and a brace pivoted to the foot-rest, adapted tofold rearwardly beneath the same when the latter is retracted,

and to automatically drop from said bottompiece and engage thechair-frame when said foot-rest is projected to support the front endthereof, said brace and guideways resting and moving on the bottom pieceof the chair when the foot-rest is in any but its projected position,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN HEALY.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM SULLIVAN, GEo. E. KITTLE.

